As the Indian government reportedly scales down its presence in Afghanistan amid growing security concerns, Jesuits say they will continue their work in the troubled nation. “We cannot suspend our work here. We have made a commitment and we need to go ahead,” says Father James Kalapura, one of the Jesuit priests working in Afghanistan, UCA News reports.
The Jesuit decision comes amid reports that recent attacks on its missions and staff have compelled the Indian government to close its operations in several places in Afghanistan.
“India may keep insisting that it is in Afghanistan for the long haul, but on the ground there are signs that it is gradually winding down its presence following persistent attacks on Indian interests there,” the Daily News and Analysis newspaper reported today.
Even Indian business people and NGOs have also reportedly left the troubled nation.
However, Jesuits and their collaborators, the major Catholic group present in Afghanistan, have no plan to retreat, says Father Edward Mudavassery, provincial of Jesuits in South Asia.
The priest, who heads more than 4,000 Jesuits in the region, says he is in “constant contact” with his people in Afghanistan. All his men and their collaborators not only want to continue there but also plan to expand their outreach programs to new areas, he added.
“I am convinced the spirit of the Risen Lord is strengthening and guiding our men in this difficult mission,” Father Mudavassery told UCA News today. He says his people “are well aware of the security situation there. I have made sure no one stays there under compulsion.”
Father Kalapura, who works in Herat province, “a comparatively safer place,” says the Jesuit team there goes about its work. “We are moving around freely as usual. We have not faced any threat yet,” he said and added, “but then anything can happen at any time in Afghanistan. This is a fact we have to live with.”
The Jesuit priest said the security of Indians in Afghanistan became “a major concern” after an attack on Indians in Kabul past February.
Even in Herat, the road in front of the Indian consulate is closed to traffic and the Indian Medical Mission suspended its activities indefinitely, the priest said in his letter to Father Mudavassery.
Father Kalapura said even the Indian vice consul in Herat sounded “much concerned and a bit frightened” after hearing about a Taliban plan to kidnap Indian diplomats in Afghanistan.
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